Life after IT
by killerkitten8893
Summary: The Losers have finished off Pennywise once and for all. Or had they? Can life really go back to normal after something as traumatic as what they had been through? Not once but twice now. Will the losers be able to build lives after IT?
1. Chapter 1: Beverly and Ben

Prologue

Bill and the losers club had finally did it, they had finally killed IT. As the adults stood outside of the house on Neibolt street all they could think about was Eddie. Sweet, kind Eddie, who had given his life so they could finish IT once and for all.

"I don't know what I'm going to do without him…" Richie sobbed, finally breaking the silence.

Beverly couldn't stand it any longer, she quickly went to Richie and held him tight.

"I know Richie… We are all going to miss him, but we need to get going sweetie."

Bev hated how it sounded coming out of her mouth, but she also knew she was right. Soon people would be showing up to see what the commotion was. The house on Neibolt street had always been here, it was a place that many of the people of Derry knew well. Someone was bound to notice it had crumbled and with this knowledge would come questions. The losers didn't need to be found here and associated with a house tumbling down.

"Rich…" Ben begins slowly, "Rich, we gotta go, Bev is right."

Just when Beverly thought she couldn't love Ben more, here he was supporting her. Almost like he was able to read her mind. She would have to remember to ask him about that later when they were all clean and safe, and preferably far the fuck away from Derry. Bev had always hated this place since she was born. Derry never felt like home, it didn't matter to her that she was born there, it would never be her home.

Richie took in a deep ragged breath and finally said, "You're right, let's get the fuck away from here."

Chapter 1: Beverly and Ben.

When the news had spread that the well-known house was no longer standing on Neibolt street the losers club was already back at their hotel packing and getting ready to make their escape. It was Beverly that was the first to speak after everyone had showered and started packing to get back on their various planes and back to their lives, lives they weren't even sure they could live anymore.

"Do you guys think we really killed IT? We thought we had when we were young…" she hesitated "and well, look how that turned out."

"Bev, I understand why you are worried." Bill said with a grimace on his face. "The truth is we can't be 100% certain that we really did finish IT off. But I feel like we did." He said reassuringly.

Bev had always felt things very deeply, she had always thought of it as a curse if she was being honest, and she had a feeling that Bill was just hoping and not actually _feeling_. When they were down in the well and looking into IT's eyes for the final time she caught a glimpse of hope there. Which honestly made no sense because they were _killing IT_. IT should have looked helpless with no chance of hope, yet….

Was this something that she should share with the others? She knew Ben would listen to her, he always listened to her and never discounted her feelings. But would the others? Would they really listen to her warning? Or would they laugh at her and tell her that she finally could relax?

She decided she would wait and talk to Ben when they were alone, she knew that he would have some insight. Ben was the most intelligent man that Bev had ever met. All the boys in the losers' club were smart of course but Ben had always had a special wisdom about him even when they were children. It was something that Beverly had always truly loved about Ben. She decided to try and clear her mind so that she could focus on finishing her packing. When Ben had finished getting his things together, he quickly went over to help Bev finish hers. They had a taxi to catch so that they could make it to the airport and back to his home-their home now- in Arizona. They had both decided on Arizona because it was far away from Maine and it offered them both a fresh start after all this chaos. Bev knew in her heart that this is where she and Ben were supposed to be. She was still a pretty well-known fashion designer and that was something that she felt Arizona needed. Ben was already scheduled to start working on a major project when they got into the state. He was to design and build a one of a kind amphitheater in the Tempe area that would be used for concerts and major events for the state.

Bev soon realized she was standing out in front of the hotel with the losers' club dreaming about their fresh start instead of handling the task at hand. It seemed that Bev was going to have to start things as she always had, which was something she used to hate in her youth but had grown to embrace it as a certain strength that she possessed.

"Well you guys…" She started hesitantly, not sure how she should start this goodbye. "We are going to keep in contact with each other, right? I don't want another 27 years to slip by before we speak again…" She trailed off thinking about how quickly the years had seemed to fly by since their youth here in Derry.

Quickly, as they did when they were young boys and not the men standing in front of her, the boys began reassuring Bev that they would keep in contact. Bev really loved each one of them and it was moments like this that reminded her of that. She had always loved each of them in different and special ways. Bev quickly held her arms out to the group of men in front of her. Yes, she realized they had all grown older, but they still looked like the boys from her youth that she would always be in love with. Ben, Bill, Richie, and Mike quickly rushed into her arms and they all embraced as they had when they were young. It was a moment Bev would end up thinking about for the rest of her life.

Bev waited until they were safely on a plane bound for Arizona before she brought up her concern to Ben. She felt it was best to wait until she knew they were getting far away from Derry before talking about IT again. She felt it was almost jinxing things to bring it up when they were still close to the place IT had called home for over 100 years.

"Ben, there's something I need to talk to you about." She started not really knowing how she should go about this and biting her bottom lip as she often did when she had something serious to talk about.

"Bev, is this about Pennywise? I noticed you had a strange look on your face when we had finished squeezing the life out of him." Ben said without hesitation looking right into Bev's eyes.

This was another one of those moments that Beverly could've sworn Ben was able to read her mind. Again, she made a mental note to tell him about that later, but right now there were more important things that needed to be discussed.

"Yes." She started slowly, gnawing her lip. "I noticed when we were looking into ITs eyes for the final time that there was hope dancing within them. Did you see it as well? Or am I just going crazy?" Bev honestly didn't know anymore. Ever since Bev had been in the deadlights when she was a child everything was different. She was able to feel things and see things differently from those around her.

"Bev, my love, you're not going crazy." Ben soothed her with his low, comforting voice. "Since you were the one trapped in the deadlights it makes sense that you would have a connection that none of us do. We haven't experienced what you have. Hell Bev, you're the only person we know about that has ever been in the deadlights and survived. I didn't see what you did, but I sure as hell know you're not crazy." He finished confidently.

Beverly looked into Ben's deep brown eyes with tears in her own. This man truly understood her. He truly loved her. He knew what she had been through in her life, the stuff with Pennywise and the stuff within her family life. He knew she had run away from her abusive now ex-husband so that she could be here to help them end this once and for all. Ben appreciated her strength and knew how to lift her up like no one had ever done in her life before she had become apart of the losers' club. And Bev didn't think she would ever be able to truly show him her appreciation for him.

"Ben, thank you. Thank you for validating me when I feel like I'm just batshit crazy." She said as she held him tightly. "But what should I do? Is there anything that we can do? By the time anything would happen again we'll be in our 60's. We won't be able to stop IT…" Bev trailed off getting lost in her own thoughts about the destruction that the future may very well have to see.

Ben sat quietly for a minute, not sure if he should really interrupt Bev and her thought process. Truth be told he also enjoyed watching the wheels in her head turn. She was the smartest woman he had ever met, and she was always so thoughtful about things, no matter what she was doing. He always loved the look on her face as she would slip into deep thought. As he was watching her, he noticed a real concern come over her angelic features and he decided now was the time to say something.

"Bev, I know you're concerned and honestly you have every right to be. But there really isn't anything we can do…" He trailed off realizing he wasn't sounding as reassuring as he hoped he would. "That's part of why we had to get away from Maine. We can't save everyone and honestly there isn't a damn soul left in Derry worth saving."

Bev looked at Ben then and realized as horrible as it sounded, he was right. Ben was intelligent and logical, something that Bev admired about him since their youth. Bev didn't feel right about it, but it didn't mean it wasn't true. She sighed and reached for Ben's hand, which he made sure to extend right away without a thought.

"You're right Ben. We've done all we can do, twice now honestly." She said as she thought back to their pre-teen years. "And we made sure to kill all the eggs that we found in the well before we finished off Pennywise." She said firmly, remembering them all stomping the gigantic eggs that they had found in the well completely by accident. She shuttered at the thought of what may have come to pass had they not found the nest and taken care of those foul creatures before they could even take their first breaths.

Ben squeezed her hand reassuringly before he sighed and said, "I agree Bev, we made sure that we got every one of those damn things. We smashed them in so there is no chance in hell any of them survived." He said matter-of-factly.

Ben hoped he was saying the things Bev needed to hear in order to be comforted. Not that he was lying to her, he would never ever lie to Beverly, he respected and loved her far too much to do something like that.

Beverly leaned her head on Ben's strong chest and took in a deep breath. She loved smelling Ben's familiar scent; it was something she found to be so comforting from the moment they reunited at Jade Palace that night Mike had made them all come back to Derry. When Ben had hugged her that night it was like electricity had shot through her body. Bev remembered holding Ben tightly and soaking in his scent and presence. Something she had forgotten she had missed so dearly. How could she forget this feeling? Was it there the whole time? Was it just another example of the memory loss the losers' club had equated to Pennywise and the summer they had _almost_ defeated IT? All Beverly knew for certain was that she was finally in Ben's arms, which she was grateful for, and she had never known home until that moment.


	2. Chapter 2: Richie

Chapter 2: Richie.

Richie always knew he was different, ever since he was that frightened little boy in Derry, Maine. When he was younger Richie tried to talk to his mom about his feelings towards other boys but that was a different time. The world wasn't as accepting as it is now, and honestly even now it still isn't as accepting as it pretends to be. His mother didn't want to hear anything about him being gay, Richie remembered exactly what she had said to him that cold winter day.

"Rich, I really don't have time to entertain your queer thoughts. No son of mine is going to be sucking cock."

And just like Richie was being scolded for not doing his chores his mother strolled out of the room to finish doing the laundry. It was like it meant nothing to her to just cut him down and go clean her sheets that were stained with the cum of her newest deadbeat boyfriend. Richie didn't understand how she could jump from unhealthy man to unhealthy man but have the audacity to tell him that he couldn't love whom he wanted to love. Love, now that was something Richie had never truly known until he met Eddie. His mother never loved him, and he had no idea who his father really was because his mother was always sleeping with a new guy. Hell, truth be told his mother didn't even know who his father was, if she did, she would've tried to get some kind of child support. Maybe his father was out there and knew who he was but didn't come around because of his mother. Honestly, Richie wouldn't blame him for that, Marleen was a mess and not someone worth the trouble of being around. But Richie wished he knew who he was so that maybe he could get him away from Marleen and her parade of men. When Richie met Eddie, his perspective started to shift about himself and honestly about love as well. When he met Eddie, he felt things he had never know before this petite asthmatic sauntered into his life. And that was the day he also knew he had to hide his feelings for the rest of his life. Gay men weren't exactly what you would call welcome in Derry and Richie didn't need word to get around the small town that he liked boys. If something like that spread Richie would have an ass whooping like he's never had before and then he and Marleen would be run out of town. Which probably would be nice… But Richie knew Marleen wouldn't feel the same way he did about that. Marleen liked being ignorant and complacent in this tiny town, but that was not something Richie wanted for himself. Richie was funny, _really_ funny, he knew that he would be able to make money with this talent one day and it would sure as hell be enough to get the fuck away from Derry and from Marleen. He was sure that she would try cashing in on him once he got famous.

"I took care of you for 18 years, the least you can do is buy your ol' Ma a house and new car."

Richie really hated that woman. All she did was find ways to use people and manipulate them into thinking they owed her something for the choices that she'd made. He stood outside of his house in LA smoking a cigarette and letting the thoughts come and go as they often had these days. The evening autumn air was crisp and as he took a long drag, he felt his head begin to clear. His thoughts trailed back to Eddie as they always had. He missed him so much, some days it was tolerable but then there were days like this. Days that Richie had to hide from the world and try to pull himself together. It had been almost 5 years since Eddie gave his life so they could kill Pennywise once and for all, and Richie still hadn't been able to get over his death. Sure, he had tried meeting guys, which was easy to do here in LA. But none of them were _him_. No matter what Richie did he couldn't stop comparing them to the things Eddie would have said or done in certain situations. Rich even dated a guy simply because his name was Eddie but that only seemed to complicate his feels, so that relationship fizzled out as quickly as it began. Richie took another drag off his cigarette quickly before putting it out in the crystal ashtray that Bev had sent him as a gift a few years back. He liked keeping it out here on the porch because he would often come out to smoke and clear his mind, then be reminded of kind Beverly. As Richie thought about it, he realized that Bev may be the only woman he ever had romantic feels for. This thought made him smile briefly before other thoughts came flooding into his mind.

It was late, Rich needed to get some sleep. Mostly because he had a gig to attend tomorrow and didn't like looking like a mess in front of people and the media. Richie had already had his fair share of bad press and poor choices being plastered all over the media, that part of his life was over. If he needed to fall apart, he would do it behind closed doors, in the safety of his home. Rich slowly climbed the stairs and stopped for a moment at the front door, thinking of a time when he might not have had to enter the huge house alone. A single tear ran down his cheek as he thought of the life he and Eddie would never get to have.

"I love you Eddie spaghetti… I wish I could've been brave enough to say that when you were still here…"

And with that Richie went to his room and cried himself to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Bill and Audra

Chapter 3: Bill and Audra.

Bill was sitting on his front porch swing writing his latest novel when Audra brought him some tea.

"Billy, darling, you really should take a break and come eat something." Audra said with a growing concern in her voice.

This concern was something Bill was used to hearing when he was writing his novels. Audra wanted what was best for him, and that was sweet, but he needed to get his ideas down before they drifted away into what he liked to call the 'writers' abyss'.

Bill took in a deep breath before addressing his lover, he didn't want to come off as harsh.

"Audra, baby, you know that when I get ideas for the novel, I have to write them down right away. I promise I will take a break soon; I'm almost finished flushing out this chapter." He finished calmly, willing her to understand.

"Okay Bill, I understand you don't want your ideas to fall to the abyss." She said smiling.

Bill liked that Audra used his words, he liked that she listened to him.

He smiled at her and grabbed her hand before she could become too far out of his reach. She stopped and looked back at her husband, this loving and talented man she had been with for many years now.

"You can't leave without paying your fee for interrupting me." He said with the familiar sexy smirk Audra always went wild for.

Audra bent down to kiss Bill, when their lips touched it was like a fire had just been started in his veins. She deepened the kiss and by the time she pulled away they were both breathless and giggling like teenagers.

"Please tell me you're actually coming to bed tonight and not just writing the hours away." She said while catching her breath between giggles.

"That's a promise I can make, my beautiful one," He said while smiling. "But I need to get back to it or I will be here all night."

And with that Audra seemed to dissipate out of the room to give Bill the time and focus he needed to finish his latest novel. He had been working on this novel longer than any other book he had written. Part of that may be because he wanted to make sure to get everything right. He had finally had the strength to start writing about his childhood in Derry. He had talked with the losers' club to make sure that they would be okay with their likenesses becoming apart of his wicked writer's world and they had all agreed it was a story that needed shared. Bill was grateful for this because this story was one that he needed to get off of his shoulders and onto pages where people could really appreciate the horror they had all been through. This novel had been hard for Bill because he had to remember everything, right down to the day that Georgie had died. That was always something that stung, it didn't matter how many years had past, Georgie's memory was always bittersweet. Bill had finally come to terms with the fact that he didn't cause Georgie's death years ago, but he was still holding on to the fact that he was helpless to stop it.

"I don't have time for this right now." Bill said aloud to himself, knowing damn well he was the only one in the room. This was something Bill often did as he was writing, he found that talking himself through things tended to help in these situations.

"Focus Bill, you have things that need to be written." He said aloud as he realized that he was sitting here wasting time by talking to himself aloud. "Finish flushing this chapter and get some food." He reassuringly told himself hoping his body would respond to his command.

It was then that it hit Bill, it hit him like a freight train out of nowhere. He feverishly began writing the end to this chapter in Georgie's life once and for all. While it pained him to have to describe how his innocent young brother had been brutally murdered, he was surprised how easily the words seems to come to the page in front of him.

"I will make sure people know how you died Georgie." He whispered in the hushed voice he always used when he was talking with his brother since his death. "I'm going to make sure people remember your name." Bill said adamantly as he finished describing the horrific scene he had always imagined.

He took a deep breath before saving his work and closing his laptop for the night, at least he hoped. He knew Audra was waiting for him and her lovely presence would help to soothe his soul, something she had done since he had met her. Bill put his laptop in his bag and rose from the table to head inside. He stretched and took one more deep breath to clear his mind before he strolled into the house to be with the woman whom he loved so deeply. Bill felt blessed to finally be at this point in his life, things finally felt right. And that was a feeling Bill would know for a while but should have known wouldn't last.


End file.
